Background
Hale was born in Colchester, England in 1797.
Hale was born in Colchester, England in 1797.
In 1844, Hale patented a new form of rotary rocket that improved on the earlier Congreve rocket design. Hale removed the guidestick from the design, instead vectoring part of the thrust through canted exhaust holes to provide rotation of the rocket, which improved its stability in flight. These rockets could weigh up to 60 pounds and were noted for their noise and glare on ignition.
Hale rockets were first used by the United States Army in the Mexican–American War of 1846–1848.
Although the British Army experimented with Hale rockets during the Crimean War they did not officially adopt them until 1867.